Protestations of shock and surprise in the German and international media about Merkel's "huge defeat" in the parliamentary elections are overblown and misplaced. Unlike the recent elections in the UK, the outcome of the German vote was neither a big surprise nor does it spell the end of Germany as we know it. The success of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) is disheartening, especially its strong showing in Eastern Germany and the Southern state of Bavaria – in the state of Saxony it emerged as the largest party – but is no grounds for hysteria.